


Its Okay To Take A Day Off Kabbu

by PuyoLover39



Series: Insect Adventures [1]
Category: Bug Fables (Video Game)
Genre: Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Sick Character, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29352714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuyoLover39/pseuds/PuyoLover39
Summary: After becoming possessed and forced to fight against his friends, Kabbu's body is left a little drained and he falls ill. So its up to his team to pick up the slack and take care of him!
Relationships: Kabbu & Leif & Vi (Bug Fables)
Series: Insect Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163252
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	Its Okay To Take A Day Off Kabbu

**Author's Note:**

> Hi so, I'm new to this fandom and didn't plan on writing anything for it, but I've been battling a some depression lately and this game has been the one Ray of light that has helped me feel better through it all, so I decided to try giving back for all it has done for me. I hope someone can enjoy this.

It had all started with good intentions, it carried on into bringing smiles to the faces of all involved, and even being rewarded for their actions. All was fine, that is, until a certain bee got dizzy and shattered an irreplaceable piece of art. 

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

As a high pitched scream of anguish rang out in the shop, the two men standing in said shop flinched, clearly realizing what had just happened and wishing they could turn back time. Sadly, neither of them possessed the ability to reverse the passage of time, nor did their teammate who had broken the vase in the first place.

The tallest male in the room briefly considered abandoning the girl to whatever her fate was for punishment, as he had not done anything himself to Kali, but he decided against it. As Kabbu had said many times, they were a team, that meant they shared everything, victories, happiness, troubles, sadness, they even shared a home. 

Which would mean that punishments fell under that shared umbrella as well. And so, they were stuck with facing the consequences of their actions, unfortunately.

Most unfortunate in the scenario however was Kabbu. The poor beetle, he was bewitched by that woman and her strange powders. Turned against his own team against his will and forced to not only stand in their way and do them harm, but to also be harmed by them.

"Kabbu! Snap out of it! I don't wanna hurt you! I mean, it'd probably be super easy, since I'm so strong and all. But that'd also be like beating up an innocent little kid who's always happy and smiling and nice to everyone! And that's no fun at all!"

"Please, Kabbu, listen to her. We do not want to harm you either, but we will if we must!"

As much as the two didn't want to do it, in order to keep him from attacking them, Vi thought it prudent to knock him out first, despite Leif's best efforts to get her to focus on Kali. However, neither of them were expecting to actually knock him out, only for the blasted scoundrel of a shopkeep to revive him and force him to continue to do battle on her behalf.

It was useless, no matter how many times they defeated their dear comrade, he would always rise again to continue fighting for the woman pulling his strings. That was what finally convinced his ally to listen to him. Once Vi came around and agreed to focus her attacks on the puppeteer as well, things became far easier.

Sure, they still had to guard against their green friend, which was no fun for any of them, as with every strike, they could see the tears in his eyes as he forced out muttered apologies to whomever his body happened to target. But once they finally wore her down, Kali gave in and released her hold on the soft hearted knight, which swiftly dropped said bug to the floor in exhaustion and pain.

"This was unnecessary. We could've replaced the vase." Spoke the moth, as he gave a flat stare to the woman who had toyed with his dear friend's form.

"Extremely unnecessary!" Screamed the huffing beetle, as he pushed himself to his feet. "Please don't control my body!"

After Vi apologized once more, Kali agreed to try to get the vase fixed and call things square. And, with a promise from the bee to stay far away from the repaired vase, the team took their leave.

The success, turned failure, turned stalemate, seemed to have truly taken the wind out of the explorers sails, as none of them quite knew what to do once they exited the shop. Vi was quick to suggest taking on another request, as she was set on getting some more berries under her belt, but even she seemed a bit hesitant to actually do so.

All eyes shifted to Kabbu, the team's designated pep talker. If anyone could lift their spirits after that disaster of an event, it was Kabbu. 

"W-What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No, that's not it, it's just…"

"Uh, duh! We're all totally bummed about what happened in there. So we're waiting for you to give one of your little encouraging speeches like you always do."

Kabbu's reply was simply to wince at Vi's words, as he bowed his head in shame and guilt. It was true, he was normally the one to encourage his friend's and boost morale. But who would do the encouraging when he himself was in need of encouragement? 

However, as much as he himself wasn't feeling well, he would always put his teammates and their needs first. That's just the kind of bug he is after all. Besides, he still felt bad about attacking them, even if he wasn't  _ really  _ the one who initiated the attacks on them. 

"O-Oh! My apologies team! Yes, let's charge onwards! There are many people out there who are in need of our aid! We cannot let one bad experience stop us from trying to right the wrongs of these lands! The queen and the entirety of the kingdom are relying on us after all!" 

Leif nodded, his posture straightening as his shorter friend's words eased his doubts.

"Yes, you are right Kabbu. If we do not press forward, then we would be letting Elizant the 1st down, and we have already failed her once. We shall not allow ourselves to fail her again!"

Vi, hearing both her teammates uplifting words, nodded as well.

"Yeah, you're both right! Besides, I became an explorer to find treasurers and beat bad bugs up! I'm not an errand bee! So who cares if we messed up one little delivery? Not this bee!" 

As the team stood around cheering themselves and each other up, Kabbu smiled. Clearly happy to see his friends feeling better, even if he himself was still in pain.

"So what kind of request do you guys wanna take on? Beat some baddies up? Another return quest?"

Leif gave an odd glance at Kabbu for a moment, before shifting his focus back to the bee and speaking.

"We believe poor Kabbu has taken enough of a beating for one day, perhaps we should take on another retrieval mission."

The bee gave a quick side eye of the beetle before nodding at the moth.

"Yeah, okay, so what kind of retrieval are we thinking here?"

"We believe we recall seeing Madeline had another request up for assistance in finding Seb again, that should not be too taxing."

Vi groaned, head tilting back as she exaggerated her disdain for the task.

"Ugh, no way, we already helped her find him once. If she's going to keep losing him, then she needs to learn how to find him herself. Or put a leash on him at least…"

Both Kabbu and Leif wanted to argue with her, but she had a point, still that didn't mean they should just leave the poor man lost and afraid just to teach them a lesson. 

"Vi, we cannot simply leave that poor man lost and alone, he is incapable of fighting for himself, what if he were attacked!?"

"Kabbu is correct, Seb needs Madeline just as much as she needs him."

"Ughhhhhh, I know! Okay, how about this, we take the request to find ingredients for that wizard guy tonight, and tomorrow after a good night's sleep, we can find the butler. Alright? What's the worst that can happen to the guy in one night?"

The two men looked at each other, clearly thinking the same thing, but they ended up giving in. Though Kabbu did insist that they would have to set out first thing in the morning before he surrendered.

So, with no more debate, the team set off to find the wizard his 3 requested ingredients. It took all the rest of the day and a good chunk of the night for the explorers to acquire the Squash, Aphid Dew, and Magic Ice and get it to the wizard. But when they finally finished the task, Kabbu insisted that seeing the man happy made it all worth the trouble. Leif seemed pleased to have gained a new skill, while Vi complained about not getting a real reward, though she gave in fairly easily due to her own exhaustion.

The team bid their goodbyes to the man and headed home, intent on sleeping away their troubles and rising with the sun to go track down that cowardly butler. Intent being the key word, for as soon as the sun rose, so did Vi only to find that she was the only one awake.

Normally, she would be the first one up, followed swiftly by Kabbu who would only be a few moments apart from her and would then focus on waking Leif, just enough time for her to grab a quick honey glazed pastry and brush her teeth after. But as she returned to grab her team, she found both still fast asleep. 

That in itself was odd enough, but as she padded over to the bed and called out for the beetle, he still didn't wake. So she tried again, louder, and again a bit louder, before finally deciding to try shaking the man. That was when she realized how hot the beetle was, and how pained his face was even in his sleep. 

Well, that was worrying.

"Leif! Leif, wake up! Somethings wrong with Kabbu!" She exclaimed as she flew up to the middle bunk bed. 

The man groaned and rolled over to pop one eye half open and stare at her blankly, as if he were seconds away from falling back asleep.

"Vi, it is far too early in the morning for shouting like that. Kabbu is always much more gentle with us, why are you the one waking us this morning and not him?"

"Ugh, that's what I'm trying to tell you, you idiot! Somethings wrong with Kabbu! He never sleeps in! But today he is, and he won't wake up! I've tried! What do we do?"

That got both eyes wide open. The man, who normally took anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes of gentle coaxing to get him up in the mornings, was awake and out of bed within 1. He quickly leaned over the beetle and placed a hand on his cheek, only to hiss and swiftly draw it away.

"He is burning up, and his face is contorted in agony, our poor Kabbu must be sick."

"SICK?! HE CAN'T BE SICK!" Shouted the teen, as she flailed around wildly in irritation. "We have to go find Seb for Madeline today!"

Leif hummed as he took a seat at the foot of the bottom bunk, placing his hand on the younger man's forehead. 

"You may have to do it without us Vi, or we will all have to take the day off."

"What?! First we find out we're gonna have to leave Kabbu behind, and now you're bailing on me too? What the heck Leif?"

"Someone must stay and watch over our fallen comrade. What if he needs something? We both know Kabbu, he would insist he's fine and try to do everything himself so as not to trouble others even if he were missing a limb. Besides, with our ice powers, we should prove quite indispensable in combating his fever."

Black arms flew over one another in a cross of a yellow and black striped chest, as Vi gave a flat stare at the frost moth.

"Okay, so what you're saying is you would rather stay here and take care of Kabbu, instead of helping me find Seb? What if he's somewhere super dangerous and I get swarmed by enemies? You want me to fight them all alone?"

"We are sure Madeline would prove a reliable ally in a fight, you need not worry about battling alone."

"Ugh, okaaay, well what if he's somehow managed to get himself stuck somewhere surrounded by spikes again and I need your bubble shield to get him?"

Leif sighed, worried eyes shifted to annoyed ones as they moved from Kabbu to Vi.

"You can fly, can you not?"

"Well, yeah! But not for that long if I have to carry another person! Besides, if I've got Madeline with me, then I would have to carry TWO bugs, not one!"

"Then don't go! Leave the mission for some other team to do and stay here to help us look after Kabbu! We are not so bad off that we need the potential income from this one mission. But we  _ do _ need Kabbu, and right now he needs us. The team comes first Vi. So you can either accept the mission yourself if you are so hung up on the reward, or you can relinquish it to Team Mothiva for all we care and stay here. But we will not abandon Kabbu for one mission, are we clear?"

The bee looked shocked, stricken almost, as the moth glared at her. It took him a moment to realize that he had not only let his temper slip enough to glare and yell at her, but he had also unconsciously summoned a ball of ice with his free hand. 

"Alright, fine. I get it. You're really worried about Kabbu, huh?"

The moth nodded slowly, feeling more than a little ashamed he had threatened one teammate over the health of the other. 

"Yes, you and Kabbu are both extremely important to us. Before we reconnected with our family, you guys were all we had in this world. Even after you both found out what we were, you both remained by our side. You encouraged us, and stayed with us, and we promised to do the same for the two of you should the need arise. So we will not abandon Kabbu, now or ever. You are both too precious to lose."

"And yet you'd be willing to send me off on my own, huh?"

Leif only scoffed in response. 

"We defeated the wasp king, we believe you are capable of handling a few lesser bugs. Besides, you would not be alone, you would have Madeline to watch your back."

"Yeah, that's true. And if you came with me, Kabbu would probably wake up alone later and freak out and run all over Bugaria trying to find us. Okay, as much as I am worried about him too, I know you won't let anything happen to him, also I just can't risk this reward. I know it was a dumb old book last time, but what if she gives us a boat load of berries this time? She is rich after all, and I  _ want  _ to be rich, I can't take that chance Leif. I'll take a shift watching Kabbu when I get back, so Take good care of him while I'm gone, Leif!"

The moth nodded and gave the girl a small smile. 

"Of course. We wish you luck in the mission, we hope you get all the berries you can carry."

"Yeah!" 

The girl pumped a fist in the air and flew out of the house, leaving just Leif, Kabbu and Chompy who was still laying in her pet bed but raised her head to face her master. 

"Now, what in the world are we supposed to do aside from cool him down with our ice magic?"

______________

  
  


The next hour was spent with a lot of pacing and sitting on the bed to place an icy hand on the smaller bugs face to cool him. Leif had been asleep in that spider web for so long, he wondered if he even remembered  _ how  _ to take care of someone who was sick. Did his wife ever fall ill and require his care? Surely at some point she had, right? But he just couldn't recall it if it had happened.

Venus help him, he really shouldn't have sent Vi on that mission.

"Hnnnn, ugh, L-Leif? What are you doing up already? And where's Vi??"

Oh goddess, truly, help him.

"She has gone to locate Seb."

Instantly, the beetle shot upright in his bed, panic clear across his features.

"Alone?! Oh no! Why did she do that?! And why didn't you stop her?! We must hurry, she may need our help!" 

As the shorter man wrestled with his bedsheet confines in an attempt to stand and run out the door, Leif rushed over and pushed him back down onto the mattress.

"L-Leif?! What is the meaning of this?! We have to go help Vi! What if she's in danger?!"

"Vi is fine, she has Madeline with her, those two are more than capable of holding their own. We sent her on the mission because we could tell she really wanted to go and we did not want to force her to relinquish it to another team."

"B-But...why did you send her on her own? We were all supposed to set out together at dawn."

"Perhaps you have not yet noticed Kabbu, but you are sick. You overslept and gave both Vi and us quite the startle. She practically shook us to death this morning because she could not wake you up."

"Oof, I am sorry Leif, I did not mean to oversleep. B-But I feel fine! Really! Those couple extra hours or so must have been all I needed! Even if Madeline is with her, we are still Vi's team, we should go meet up with them."

As Kabbu began to push himself back up, Leif shook his head and once again pushed the man back down.

"Nah, I don't think so Kabbu. You can't fool us that easily. You still have quite the fever, if you were to rush off now you would likely collapse on your way there. Besides, we promised Vi that we would take good care of you while she was gone, so we cannot allow you to put yourself in needless danger."

"I am touched with you two being so concerned, but I can't hold the team back like this. I became an explorer to help others, not hinder them!"

"...You are not a hindrance Kabbu."

The beetle quickly pushed himself upright, glancing at the taller man in what appeared to be fear and self loathing. 

"But I am! I am not only skipping out on the mission, but holding  _ you _ back as well! That means that I am doing even less than not helping, I am  _ hurting _ the poor bugs of this land that could be benefiting from your aid!"

Seeing Kabbu so upset hurt, in ways that he hadn't expected it to. Sure seeing a friend upset always tugged a bit at him, sure he wanted to help. But this, this was terrible, something that really knocked the air out of him. Like seeing a pill bug skewered right in front of him, or seeing his wife cry. 

"Kabbu, stop it, you are not a hindrance. I stayed because I wanted to. You were there for us the entire time we were trying to uncover our truth, you were there for me when it came time to reconnect with our family, and I promised to be there for you in turn. You are the best bug I know, you handle all the cleaning around our house, you always give for the sake of others, no matter what it costs you. Honestly, it's almost annoying how perfect you are. You are a saint Kabbu, but even saints take days off. So just lay back down and allow someone to do something for you for once."

To say Kabbu was floored would be an understatement. He felt like he'd been punched into a different dimension. Not only because his friend had just said such deep and kind things about him, but because of  _ how  _ his friend had chosen to say it.

"Leif...you used 'I', not 'we'."

Now it was Leif's turn to be left reeling. He had used 'I', hadn't he? The moth took a moment to reflect on that, wondering why he had felt so strongly as to use that pronoun, but quickly shook it off. If he started analyzing every little feeling and thought he would never respond to Kabbu. 

"Yes, we did. That is how confident we are in our words Kabbu. It is okay to take a break, you  _ deserve  _ to take a break. So just relax and tell us what we can do to help you. The sooner you get better for real, the sooner you can go out and help others again. But you are of no use to anyone in your current state, not even to yourself."

Hearing Leif's certainty in his tone and seeing the steadfast look in his snow like eyes, it left very little room for Kabbu to argue. So, with a soft sigh, the saran relented. 

"...Okay, you are right Leif. I will be much more useful to those who need me once I am back in top form. So I guess I am taking the day off. Thank you for staying to help me out, I am truly lucky to have a friend like you in my life Leif."

"S-Sure, and we are lucky to have you and Vi as well. Now, tell us what you need us to do to help you get better, it has understandably been a long time since we have had to nurse anyone, so we must admit we are a little lost. Would you like something to eat? We can run over to Fry's and get you something, you have yet to eat breakfast today after all."

With a lighthearted chuckle and a cough or two, Kabbu instructed Leif kindly on how to tend to someone who was ill and the two spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon together talking, playing spy cards, and relaxing. Finally, sometime a little after half way through the afternoon, their front door slammed open to reveal a very disgruntled bee.

"IT WAS ANOTHER FREAKIN' BOOK! Can you  _ believe _ it Leif?! And not just any book either, another history book! Which meant I had to drop by the library and dump the dumb thing back on the shelf before I could even come home. I should have just let another team pick up the request and stayed here with you to help look after Kabbu. Oh, speaking of Kabbu, how is he?"

Leif gave a small smile as Kabbu chuckled at the girls antics, which she quickly caught the sound of as she buzzed over to his bedside and began interrogating the unofficial team leader. 

"I promise you Vi, I am feeling much better thanks to Leif. You don't have to worry, I'll be back in mission fulfilling form soon enough!"

"Well, okay, if you say so. I sure hope you're right, it sucks having to pull the whole teams weight, cuz then I have no one to complain to when I get dumb rewards."

"Was the book really the only thing she gave you Vi?" Question the moth.

"Uh, basically? I mean, she also gave me her umbrella, but I don't even know what to do with that."

Kabbu was quick to leap into action at the mention of the umbrella, pushing himself out of bed and tumbling over himself as he explained how that would be the perfect thing to give to the poor overheating bug that they accepted the request from previously and were unsure how to help. He suggested they head out immediately to give it to her, only for both Vi and Leif to grab an arm each and throw him back in his bed.

"Uh, no way Kabs. You're not going anywhere. I'm taking over as your caregiver now, so it's my job to make sure you stay in bed and get better. That makes me your warden, I'm both your best friend and your worst nightmare. If you even  _ think  _ of trying to go on a mission before you're ready, I  _ will _ have Leif freeze you to your bed and block the door with his magic. So you better behave yourself Kabbu, because this is one bee you don't wanna mess with."

An "Oof!" could be heard coming from the sick one, as Leif chuckled at the proud yet intimidating grin Vi wore on her face. A moment later, Kabbu heaved a sigh of defeat, lifting his hands in surrender as he returned to sitting beneath his blankets and smiling softly at his team.

"I am so lucky to have both of you as my teammates! Thank you Leif, Vi, I couldn't have asked for a better team or better friends."

"You got that right." Spoke the youngest, as she puffed out her chest in pride. "You couldn't find a better team even if you paid for one. But, uh, we're lucky to have you too Kabbu."

"Agreed."

"Oh, team, I'm going to cry."

"Please don't. Look, just..lay back down and let me get you something to eat okay? I know how you are about having to feel useful, but trust me, you're worth the trouble, and I wanna do it. So you can't blame yourself or feel bad. Alright?"

"Alright. I got it Vi. Thank you."

"Yeah, well, whatever. Can we just drop all this sentimental stuff now?"

"Yes, let's. We all love each other, and we are equally lucky to have one another. Now let's all just relax and have dinner, agreed?"

"Heheh, agreed Leif."

And so, Leif and Vi pulled up a chair on each side of Kabbu's bed, as they sat down to share a meal together. The three of them chatted happily and laughed as they chowed down, content to spend time together relaxing just as much as they did on missions. Because taking some time for one's self isn't selfish or lazy, and taking a whole day off isn't bad at all either.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to tell me if you think I did anything wrong or right. I am always curious to improve if I messed anything up.


End file.
